G’day to everyone. It’s a great day to be a Pies’ supporter. Enjoy.
Was I concerned when Melbourne got that significant lead in Q2? Absolutely, but I thought we were playing as well as them and the scores would come back. I always reckon numbers of Goals and Behinds tend to equal each other (as they did in this case, as well). Was I concerned when, after two quick goals at the start of Q4, Jackson took that mark and goaled reducing the lead to under a kick? Sure was, but then my exhortation to the team to take the pressure off the supporters by establishing a solid lead to the end, worked. Many thanks to the team for the final, unanswered four goals. And I just love the ‘Collingwoood’ chant at the end.
Onward and upward. A Bye, then our next game – GWS, importantly at the G. More later. Go Pies.
Round 12
Collingwood 12.10.82 defeated Melbourne 8.8.56.
A couple of comments first:
- Like the two preceding games, this game was important because of what a win would say to the competition. Well, we’ve made that statement now. It was a solid, team-based win by a reasonable margin and no amount of internal Melbourne crises or injuries to key players can detract from that.
- Remember – one game at a time. Be sensible, but be prepared to dream.
Go Pies.
Game Timeline. Have a look at the Timeline at www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/3916#timeline. It shows the comparison in scoring to the middle of Q2 and our progressive recovery after that, including four, unanswered goals to finish things. The game, Goals scored by Quarter:
- Q1 0 (us) / 3 (them).
- Q2 3 / 2;
- Q3 5 / 2;
- Q4 4 / 1; and
- Total 12 / 8. And we Won. Note the Scoring Shot differential – 22 (Us) / 16 (Them), a substantial difference.
Comments from the AFL website towards the end:
Since the nine-minute mark of the third quarter, Collingwood have outscored Melbourne 8.1.49 to 1.4.10. Over the time period they have led the inside 50 count by seven, contested possession by six and clearances by five, but it has been their efficiency that has been remarkable, kicking a goal from 31 per cent of their inside 50s, compared to Melbourne’s five per cent.
Match Report: www.afl.com.au/afl/matches/3916#match-report
Coach’s Comments: www.afl.com.au/video/780016/full-post-match-r13-magpies?videoId=780016&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1655109822001. Worth viewing – understandably, a happy chap is our coach.
Statistics & Lessons:
Nowhere near my computer for this one, so back to looking at the numbers at the end of the game.
| Statistic category | FT | Comments |
| Hit Outs | 28/24 | Against Gawn, the best ruck (?) in the competition, this was an outstanding result. It also, pretty clearly, indicated Gawn was not 100%. But Cox took him on and frequently won.
|
| Clearances | 34/28 | Clearance numbers are fantastic with disproportionate advantage to us compared with HO numbers. Interestingly, Centre clearances were 7/14 very much against us but Stoppage clearances we won 27/14. I don’t recall, was Gawn following the ball away from the Centre?
Much of this advantage has been lost in the next step – Inside 50s where we hold only a minor advantage.
|
| Inside 50s | 54/52 | |
| Goals scored | 12/8 | Does not reflect the Inside 50 numbers, but look further down.
|
| Disposal effectiveness | 72.4/79.0% | Okay, a deficit. Not huge, but significant. Why is this not critical? See the next number. |
| Inside 50 – DE | 50.0/32.7% | This is a huge advantage. We had greater entries into the 50 and used them far better. This won us the game.
The number of players with DE of 80% or higher was 7/12. This is a significant different but probably was dwarfed by the total players’ games. |
| Inside 50 – marks | 12/6 | A further advantage to scoring. |
| 1%’ers | 65/42 | A measure of application, particularly the defence. A huge difference. |
| Frees | 14/18 | Always the location and timing and the failure to award some Frees. I’m not sure what the fuss is about Ginnivan. He seeks to gather the ball; an opponent tries to rip his head off; a head-high free should be awarded. |
Application. The sum of Contested Possessions and Tackles, as a measure of application, gives – 195 (us) / 193 (them); not hugely different (nearly exactly 1%). But for periods, each side was dominant. Everyone watching this game, whether the gifted amateurs like us or the professional commentators, have identified the Pies’ application. It was a joy watching the team apply pressure. It is also how we won against
So, what is going on? A couple of other numbers that I usually ignore – Uncontested Possessions, Disposals and Marks – 231/264, 380/405 and 95/103 respectively are each heavily weighted in Melbourne’s favour. What these indicate is that Melbourne were playing a game based on possession – ‘keepens off’. Do you remember any other teams playing like that, maybe last year? Yeah. Us. The changed offensive attitude at all costs, based on the very strong defence inherited from last year, is leading to a more dynamic, and watchable, game. Marks numbers are also interesting – Contested Marks we won 18/7. With the Inside 50 Mark numbers we won the critical competitions; the rest don’t matter; they are just part of the possession game.
Best. Listed Best were: N. Daicos (everywhere), Mihocek (magnificent), Cox (I agree with some commentators that this was Cox’ best game ever, even better than the Prelim Final a couple of years ago – he played magnificently), Crisp, Maynard, De Goey and Pendles. Again, it was a magnificent ‘team effort’ – 9 Collingwood players recorded Goal Assist statistics reflecting this. I would consider adding J.Daicos and Adams. Consider, for example, the occasional ‘touches’ by Elliott or Noble, for example, and the effect on the game as a whole. The Back 6 achieved 40 Intercepts (with Maynard – 12, Moore – 10 and Noble – 8 leading the Pies’ statistics) and approximately 1,800 metres gained, reflecting the drive out of the Backline.
Ground Reporting. Many thanks to Amanda and Sal. Others who attended? Or maybe from those who watched the game on TV? C’mon, we re all family.
Round 14
Bye.
Round 15
Sunday, 26 June at the G.
Collingwood versus GWS.
More on this next weekend.
Other
- Footy Almanac. Go to www.footyalmanac.com.au. More specifically go to www.footyalmanac.com.au/?s=Hooke for the history. Readers can make comments at the end – interesting reading. Highly recommended.
Go Pies
Cam
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